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OPINION

Letters to the Editor for Dec. 22, 2017

The Commercial Appeal
Published 5:00 a.m. CT Dec. 22, 2017

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Only the pedestal remains of the removed statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest at Health Sciences Park on Thursday morning. The city of Memphis sold two public parks containing Confederate monuments to a nonprofit Wednesday in a massive, months-in-the-planning operation to take the statues down overnight.(Photo: Mark Weber / The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo

Futility of trying to erase history

I returned home to find our mayor had colluded with the misguided to do his part to erase history. Where do we stop? Look around. We have streets and cities, states and colleges, all named for folks who were at least connected with slavery. Seven of the first nine presidents, the name of our national capital, a state in the Northwest, colleges everywhere, our own Overton Park, Winchester, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe streets and avenues. The name Memphis was taken from ancient Egypt, a slave culture. American Indians had slaves. Aztecs, Mayans and Incas had slaves. Do you see my drift? Slavery is dead, thank God. But we can't eliminate the history of it without eliminating history. This action only proves our own culture isn't mature or acting intelligently.

William H. McCrary Jr., Memphis

City's tactics underhanded

Underhanded and illegal is the only way to describe what the mayor and city council did to the historical markers. Selling the two parks to a supposedly nonprofit group to accomplish their bigoted and racist ideals and doing it under cover of darkness is exactly like the racism these markers supposedly represent. White robes were replaced by black hoodies. Mayor, enjoy your term because it will certainly be the last office you get elected to. Council members, keep destroying Memphis just like you have done for the past 20 years.

Gerald Kelly, Memphis

New story, same old politics

My grandparents came to this country at the turn of the 20th century. I was born and raised up North. I have no dog in this fight. However, I think it speaks volumes that the city had to use the cover of a rainy night to remove the Jefferson Davis and Nathan Bedford Forrest statues from their locations in the city. Seems like things haven't changed much when it comes to politics.